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Speakers CornerAir your opinion on current world affairs. A forum for civil discussion and exchange of ideas. No flaming or abuse allowed. All posts should include your opinion on the subject, not your opinion of the member posting.

I liked my "gay" friends when they were outside the mainstream, and they seemed to like it that way, too. Now some of these folks want to be part of the mainstream. WTF for? Benefits? BS. I use the biblical term for them: Sodomists.

This evening, the Maryland House of Delegates, after many starts and stops, after many unstatesmanlike attempts to thwart debate, finally voted and passed a same-sex marriage bill, by a margin of 71-67.

A district court judge ruled Wednesday that the Defense of Marriage Act discriminated against married same sex couples and violated the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.

The Defense of Marriage Act was enacted in 1996 and Section 3 of the law, which the case challenged, defined marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. It prohibited legally married same sex couples from receiving federal benefits.

Proponents of the law said it upheld a definition of marriage that was embedded in the country’s history and tradition. But the judge, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, rejected that line of argument.

“The argument that the definition of marriage should remain the same for the definition’s sake is a circular argument, not a rational justification,” Judge Jeffery White wrote in his decision. “Simply stating what has always been does not address the reasons for it. The mere fact that prior law, history, tradition, the dictionary and the Bible have defined a term does not give that definition a rational basis, it merely states what has been.”

“This ruling, the first to come after the Justice Department announced it would no longer defend this discriminatory statute in court, spells doom for DOMA,” said Tara Borelli, staff attorney in Lambda Legal’s Western Regional Office in Los Angeles. “The Court recognized the clear fact that a law that denies one class of individuals the rights and benefits available to all others because of their sexual orientation violates the constitutional guarantee of equality embodied in the Fifth Amendment.”

Amid cheers and camera flashes from a crush of on-lookers, Gov.Martin O'Malleyon Thursday signed into law his bill legalizing same-sex marriage in Maryland — legislation that adds sparkle to his national profile and, advocates say, gives momentum to those pushing similar measures in three states.

"The way forward is always found through greater respect for the equal rights of all," said O'Malley, giving brief remarks before inking the bill. "If there is a thread that unites all of our work here together it is the thread of human dignity. … Let's sign the bill."

snip

The law doesn't take effect until 2013, and opponents already are collecting signatures to try to overturn it in November.

"We're in full swing to put this on the ballot and let the people decide," said the Rev. Derek McCoy of the Maryland Marriage Alliance, which opposes the bill. "Not the governor who brings a unique level of craftiness and tricks to the process."

snip

Maryland's legislature is the fourth in the past year to approve gay unions. The action comes on the heels of approvals by legislatures in New York, Washington state and New Jersey. (New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the measure.) Five other states — Iowa, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire — and the District of Columbia also allow same-sex marriage. .

Stage 1. Please don't spit on us, beat us up and make jokes out of us.
We just want to be left alone. WE said OK.

Stage 2. Please, we just want to be treated like everone else. We don't want
special treatment, but we don't want to be discriminated
against either.We said OK

Stage 3. Please; we would like you to give us equal employment opportuntiy
and equal employment benefits, with maybe a little bit of
extra consideration....ya know for past wrongs Maybe some nice big
parades where we can dress up in leather and chains, and make obscene
gestures and flaunt our "sexuality" at all those backward "hetro's"
Actually we would like to be right in your face......as much as possible.WE said OK

Stage 4. Please, we would like to live together openly and be treated as any
other couple living together, including tax treatment, pension benefits
etc. WE said OK

Stage 5. Please, we want to be allowed to legally marry...
and adopt kids..............WELL.....no culture in the history of the world has done that .....but we are considering it, even though it goes against every instinct normal human beings have had since we crawled out of the caves.....and some of your fucking parades and exibitionism is getting a bit much, but.......

COMING SOON.

Stage 6. Now that you have all shown us how reasonable you are, we wish to be
treated as a preferred and enlightened segment of society.....We want
special treatment and recognition in the employment market, and in
all other matters.

In addition, we would like all of you hetrosexual
deviants to start giving up the rest of your values, traditions, and way of
life to accomodate us. It's only fair after all.. and so far you have
agreed with everything we demanded.

Don't you dare object now, that would be homophobic....and we can destroy your career and life for any words of disagreement you may have against our Gay "rights".......just remember YOU have no rights any more......

The problem is "human rights" are not something every human is born with. They are bestowed by power, either governments, individuals, or nature.

The only "rights" humans really have, is the "right" to struggle to stay alive (and they only have that while they are alive).

RickThai

There are actually no such thing as rights at all... they are "rules" conferred by a group upon it's members to aid inclusive fitness and maintain a civilisation - however, more rights does not necessarily equate to more civilisation...

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The Republican-led House of Representatives in New Hampshire rejected legislation on Wednesday that would have rolled back the state’s same sex marriage law.

The bill would have repealed New Hampshire’s 2-year-old same sex marriage law and replaced it with a civil unions law. The House voted 211 to 116 to kill the legislation.

“Today’s big victory is a testament to the bipartisan groundswell throughout the state to keep the popular marriage law on the books,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “This victory was made possible by Republicans and conservatives standing up for freedom and family. Clearly, Granite Staters believe this is a settled issue, and it’s time to move on.”

A majority of voters in Maine now believe that same sex couples should be allowed to legally marry, according to a poll released Sunday by the Maine People’s Resource Center.

More than 57 percent said they strongly favored or somewhat favored same sex marriage, while more than 39 percent said they were strongly opposed or somewhat opposed.

Maine voters will have the opportunity to allow same sex couples to legally marry this November. The Maine legislature passed up a chance to vote on a citizen initiative regarding the issue, sending it to the voters for ratification instead.

“Democrats believe the people of Maine must decide this question,” Minority Leader Emily Cain (D) said in March. “We support the effort of the thousands of Maine people who signed the petitions to put this question before voters in November. The people of Maine should have an opportunity to cast a direct vote on this matter of fairness and equality for all families.”

Maine is the only state in New England that does not allow same sex couples to enter into marriage or civil unions.

The state passed legislation in 2009 that would have allowed same sex couples to wed, but the law was repealed six months later by a statewide referendum.

How is it a 'human right' to marry same sex partners?
Is it your 'human right' to do whatever the fuck you please?

I not much of a fan of marriage for anybody but if people believe that they need some kind of institutional sanctioning for their union it shouldn't be denied to them because they are attracted to the same sex. I don't see all the fuss, seems pretty wrong-headed to me to deny something based upon color, sex or sexual preference. After all, these are not choices but things that people are born with.

Funnier still is the fact that there is no "right" to a legally recognized marriage.

Marriage is defined by law. It only takes a legislature with courage to change the law but courageous legislators are few and far between. Instead, they sit back and let it be fought out in the courts while giving lip service to being opposed to or in favor of it.

biden is right of course. every heterosexual and homosexual american deserves the right to get married. it's just fear and bigotry standing in the way.

and i can't help but wonder if this was an orchestrated trial balloon of sorts. depending on the level of fall out from this interview, i wouldn't be terribly surprised if obama comes out in favor of gay marriage before the election.....young people overwhelming are in favor of it, and he's actively courting their vote.

^its absolutely the right stand to take but it will do little to influence undecided voters. This election will be about one issue; the economy. Everything else is a side show. Obama will have to help voters awaken from their amnesia about how things were in 2009 when he took office and the world was about to go over a cliff. Things are better today than when he took office and he will have to make that case. LGBT issues will only play in the media.

President Obama has come out in support of marriage equality for gay and lesbian people in an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts this afternoon:

OBAMA: I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.

His endorsement comes less than a week after Vice President Joe Biden embraced the issue during an appearance on Meet The Press and a day after North Carolina banned marriage equality and civil unions in its state constitution.

The president last made news on the freedom to marry 560 days ago, when he told progressive journalists at the White House that he is evolving towards greater acceptance.

Obama’s remarks today bring him full circle to his position in 1996, when he was running for the Illinois state Senate. In response to a questionnaire from Chicago’s Outlines gay newspaper, he proclaimed, “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.”